Custom domain on Vercel
Domains whose nameservers point at Vercel (`ns1.vercel-dns.com`) are managed from the Vercel dashboard’s Domains section. The Name field takes just the subdomain part — Vercel appends your domain automatically.
The records you’ll create
Your exact names and values are generated on the server’s Deployments tab → Custom domain card. They follow this shape:
| Type | Name | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNAME | mcp.acme.com | connect.mcp-dns.com | Routes traffic to MCPCloud |
| TXT | _cf-custom-hostname.mcp.acme.com | ce2337e3-…-c789c237d377 | Proves you own the domain |
Setup on Vercel
- Open vercel.com/dashboard, go to Domains, and select the domain.
- In DNS Records, add a CNAME: Name is the subdomain only (e.g. `mcp`), Value is the CNAME target from your MCPCloud domain card.
- Add a TXT record: Name is the ownership-record labels without your domain (e.g. `_cf-custom-hostname.mcp`), Value is the token from the card.
- Return to MCPCloud and hit Recheck. Vercel DNS propagates within a few minutes.
Verify and go live
Back on the Custom domain card, hit Recheck. The status walks from Verifying DNS to Issuing certificate to Active — usually within minutes of the records propagating. Once Active, your server answers at https://mcp.acme.com/mcp and the certificate renews automatically.
Troubleshooting
The record saves but verification never completes.
Check the Name column after saving: it should read exactly `mcp.yourdomain.com`. If it shows `mcp.yourdomain.com.yourdomain.com`, you pasted the full hostname — edit it down to just the subdomain.
The domain is attached to a Vercel project and traffic goes there.
Remove the subdomain from the Vercel project’s Domains list (or use a different subdomain) — a project assignment takes precedence over your CNAME.
Calls through the custom domain get a 403 (often “browser_signature_banned” or a challenge page) while the platform URL works.
Your DNS zone’s WAF or bot-protection rules apply to the custom hostname, and MCP clients send unusual or minimal user agents. Exempt the hostname (or the path) from bot fight / managed challenge rules in your zone, or point clients at the platform URL until you do. The 403 comes from your zone, not from MCPCloud.
Other DNS providers